Steven_Judd
ABOUT THE WRITER

Steven Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw) is a member of the Writers Guild of America.  He is a credited writer on the new Disney XD comedy series "Zeke and Luther."  Zeke and Luther launched in June 2009 with the highest-rated prime-time debut among kid demos in the 10-year history of the channels.  His episode "A very hairy problem" premiered on January 25th 2010.

Judd was inspired to write and direct films to offset the stereotypical portrayal of American Indians he saw as a child.  Judd has written and co-produced several projects including  "Silent Thunder," a PBS documentary. 

Judd received the Story Teller of the Year Award from the Native Word Craft Writing Circle in 2005.  "MAC v. PC with a Native Twist" garnered Judd a semifinalist position in NBC/Universal’s Comedy Short Cuts Diversity Film Festival in 2007 and inclusion in an installment at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. 

In 2008, Judd was one of 14 selected from 2,500 script submissions for the Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship Program a paid writing position with ABC/Disney.
SEARCH FOR THE WORLD'S BEST INDIAN TACO
(2010, 15 mins.)
Writer/Director: Steven Judd
Producer: Pamela J. Peters
Mentors: Vincent Blackhawk Aamodt, Daniel J. Pico, Brian Sorbo, Darrell Redleaf
Executive Producers: Paula Starr and James Lujan
Cast: Noah Watts, Crystle Lightning, JR Redwater, James Anderson, Andrea Montoya, Adrian Martinez

Onscreen: An old Indian man tells his grandson the tall tale of his search for true love.

Offscreen: "We originally got this script the first or second year of the program," Exec Producer James Lujan recollects. "It was one of the highest rated scripts ever to emerge from our judging panel. We wanted to do it the first year we got it, but quite frankly, I didn't feel we had the resources to pull it off from an organizational standpoint. Even though it's a simple story -- in fact, the key to its beauty is its simplicity -- but with all its locations and special effects, it was a logistical and financial nightmare, impossible to execute in an our original format of shooting, editing and screening in a week's time. So, we shelved the script, but I always kept in my back pocket as something I always wanted us to do.

TacoKissWeb
"As we entered our fourth year of Creative Spirit, the program was a bit up in the air financially. Our organization had taken a bit of a financial hit in the economic crisis, so it looked like we were only going to be able to produce one project instead of two. We had put out a call for scripts that year, but of the submissions we received, none of them really stood out with the Creative Spirit judging panel. So, I figured if we're only going to produce one short this year, let's choose the best script possible and break away from the usual format so that we have the time to produce it the right way. I felt that the best script available in our archives was "Search for the World's Best Indian Taco," and since the story had always been a favorite of SCIC Executive Director Paula Starr and since we had proven our technical and logistical capabilities in the third year, we agreed that we were now ready to produce the most challenging but potentially most accomplished film yet.

"So, we decided on "Search for the World's Best Indian Taco," poured all our resources into it and gave ourselves time (two months of post-production) to make sure we had time to do the special effects. Based on the reaction we've gotten so far (laughter and tears during the preview screenings), I'd say the extra time and expense has confirmed the fact that we can produce just about anything."

Reviews: "...stylish! ambitious! slick! funny! dynamic!...ie, talent-rich and commerical savvy ... Within a clever odyssey/love story, the film playfully addresses traditional cultural references and stereotypes." (Santa Fe Reporter); "The indigenous tradition of storytelling is given a fresh and funny treatment ... The story's told in amusing scenes with a surreal and quirky sense of humor ..." (Art & Culture Maven)

Film Festivals: L.A. Shorts Fest, 2011 Spokane International Film Festival, 2011 Agua Caliente Festival of Native Film and Culture, 2011 Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, 2011 Tulsa International Film Festival, 2011 North American Indigenous Image Awards (Best Short Film Award, Best Actor and Actress Nominees), 2011 Santa Fe Indian Market Classification X (Best Narrative Short), 2011 ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, 2011 American Indian Film Festival (Best Live Short Subject), Indigenous World Film Festival, Spring 2012 Tribeca Youth Screening Series
Steven_Judd
ABOUT THE WRITER

Steven Judd (Kiowa/Choctaw) is a member of the Writers Guild of America.  He is a credited writer on the new Disney XD comedy series "Zeke and Luther."  Zeke and Luther launched in June 2009 with the highest-rated prime-time debut among kid demos in the 10-year history of the channels.  His episode "A very hairy problem" premiered on January 25th 2010.

Judd was inspired to write and direct films to offset the stereotypical portrayal of American Indians he saw as a child.  Judd has written and co-produced several projects including  "Silent Thunder," a PBS documentary. 

Judd received the Story Teller of the Year Award from the Native Word Craft Writing Circle in 2005.  "MAC v. PC with a Native Twist" garnered Judd a semifinalist position in NBC/Universal’s Comedy Short Cuts Diversity Film Festival in 2007 and inclusion in an installment at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. 

In 2008, Judd was one of 14 selected from 2,500 script submissions for the Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship Program a paid writing position with ABC/Disney.